1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to emergency transmitter systems that automatically dial an emergency number when activated. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods that use a remote wireless transceiver to communicate with a landline telephone connection.
2. Prior Art Description
There is currently a severe gap in the emergency response infrastructures, worldwide. This critical gap is the physical distance between a victim experiencing an emergency (either a criminal, fire or medical emergency), and a landline telephone to summon aid. Calling via landline telephone is the fastest way for a victim to get the help they need. This is because landline emergency calls are automatically routed directly to the caller's local PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), and the PSAP is the entity which dispatches the appropriate emergency help: either police, fire, or medical personnel and equipment, or a combination thereof. The fastest possible response time is very important, because in emergencies, minutes and seconds can mean the difference between life and death.
The very nature of a criminal, fire or medical emergency can be what prevents a victim from reaching a phone, and thus from reaching the desperately needed help in time. Such may be the case, for example, when there is domestic violence, when there is an intruder or assailant, when there is a fire, a heart attack, a TIA, stroke, a diabetic shock, a severe asthma attack or a severe allergic reaction, a fall, a severe injury, badly interacting medications, or an overdose. In certain circumstances, a victim may only have brief seconds between the realization that they are in very serious trouble and unconsciousness, which easily may not be enough time to reach a phone, or else they may quickly become too mentally or physically impaired to reach a phone. Also, an intruder, or violent individual, may prohibit a victim from reaching a phone. The very nature of a victim's emergency can be what prevents them from having the freedom, mobility, ability, or time necessary to reach a phone.
Technology has enhanced, and speeded access to, the public health and public safety systems in amazing ways. Yet it is obvious that all these technological and infrastructure improvements are for naught if a victim cannot reach a phone to summon help. Here are some of these public health and public safety improvements:
First, there are nationally enacted, simple, memorable, national 3-digit emergency phone numbers to dial to summon help from any phone, nationwide. For example, there's 9-1-1 in North America and 1-1-2 in Europe.
Second, these national emergency phone number calls are answered by local PSAP's, or Public Safety Answering Points, which have specially trained call takers to handle the emergency call, to give instructions to the caller and to dispatch the appropriate local emergency responders and emergency equipment to the emergency.
Third, there's the ubiquitous and extremely reliable nationwide landline telephone network.
Fourth, there's the nationwide system, called Landline Enhanced 9-1-1 in the USA, for incoming landline phone calls, which instantly and automatically gives the PSAP the exact address of the phone making the call, with on-site directions, such as “Apartment E, 2nd floor, 3rd door on the left”. This is vital to speed dispatch when a victim is unable to provide this information, i.e. due to lack of knowledge, blacking out, choking, an intruder, etc. Landline Enhanced 9-1-1 also instantly provides the name of the person to whom the phone number is issued, and the callers' phone number. Having the phone number is important when a callback is needed due to disconnection, or for further direction giving or information gathering.
Fifth, there are special radio networks connecting the PSAP's with the emergency responders.
Sixth, these emergency responders have police cars, and fire and ambulance services standing by.
Seventh, the police are specially trained in handling emergencies, and they have a plethora of skills, from subduing violent individuals, to negotiation skills in domestic abuse and hostage situations, to handling medical emergencies. They also have several levels of weaponry to deal with violent individuals, from batons and stun guns, to guns. They have tools for medical aid which can range from first aid and CPR knowledge, to portable oxygen units and defibrillators.
Eighth, firemen have extensive training and trucks with ladders, pumps, water, and chemical fire suppressants.
Ninth, ambulances are mini mobile emergency rooms, which can use triage and begin life-saving efforts immediately, and which can radio ahead to alert a hospital to the needs of the incoming victim. At the hospital, there are dramatic advances in knowledge, drugs, imaging technology and surgery. There are also med-evac helicopters, hospitals with helicopter landing pads, and hospitals with areas of specialization, such as burn units or open heart surgery.
This entire infrastructure, however, is for naught if A) the victim cannot reach a phone to summon help, or B) the means of summoning help causes delays that prevent the needed help from arriving in time. Time is obviously critical when an individual has impaired or stopped breathing, or when his heartbeat is intermittent or stopped.
This present invention is A) tiny enough to be worn continually, so it's always available and within reach of the user, and B) the fastest way to contact the local PSAP dispatchers.
Existing portable technologies are far inferior to the present invention for summoning emergency help. Devices for making telephone calls to emergency responders in emergency situations fall into five broad categories:                (1) devices that are solely fixed to a landline phone jack wall outlet;        (2) devices that are fixed to a landline phone jack wall outlet and have a portable cordless handset such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,370;        (3) devices that are fixed to a landline phone jack wall outlet and have a portable cordless medallion such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,304;        (4) devices that are mobile and utilize cellular phone technology such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. US 2002/0127994 A1; and        (5) devices that are mobile and utilize satellite phone technology such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,518,889.        
There are problems and limitations with all of these devices. Devices fixed to a landline phone jack wall outlet require the caller to travel to the fixed location of the device to initiate the emergency call. Thus, a significant delay is incurred in a situation where speed is essential, critical, and possibly life-saving. Also, the caller is required to leave the site of the emergency. Thus, the caller is unable to render needed assistance at the site of the emergency. Also, if the victim is alone, he or she may be unable to travel to the fixed location of the device due to the emergency. This may be the case in fire emergencies, and in medical emergencies such as heart attack, stroke, and accidental injury. Also, criminal emergencies such as kidnapping, assault, robbery, and domestic abuse may involve one or more perpetrators who prevent the victim from traveling to the fixed location of the device.
Although cordless handset devices offer remote initiation of emergency phone calls, they are too bulky and cumbersome to be carried or worn on the user's person all the time. Thus, the user has no certainty of the handset being within reach at the time of the emergency. Also, a cordless handset device requires recurring recharging of its battery on its base unit, which is plugged into an electrical outlet. This is required at varying intervals of time depending on usage. Thus, it is uncertain whether the cordless handset device will have an adequately charged battery to be operable at the time of the emergency. And thus, there are recurring time periods while its battery is being recharged on its base when the cordless handset is unusable by the user. Also, the cordless handset is limited to initiating telephone calls via its own base. Thus, the usefulness to the user of the cordless handset device is limited to the time period when the user is within cordless telephone range of that single base unit.
Medallion devices that communicate to a base fixed to a landline phone jack wall outlet, and medallion devices that are remote activators of alarm systems, do not have audio transmission capability. Thus, the user is unable to verbally communicate with the emergency responder whom they have called. Thus, the emergency responder is unable to determine the nature of the emergency. Thus, the emergency responder is unable to select and dispatch the appropriate help for the emergency, whether fire, police or ambulance. Although some bases have speakerphone capability, and some secondary speakerphones may be installed at the users location, unless the emergency victim is near one of these speakerphones they will still be unable to communicate with the emergency responder. Due to this lack of audio communication capability, medallion devices must call a pre-programmed number for a commercial central monitoring station (CCMS), rather than the local 911. Upon receipt of a call from a customer, the CCMS then calls a pre-determined list of friends and/or relatives and/or neighbors to dispatch them to the caller to determine if there is an emergency, and if so, to determine the nature of the emergency. Thus, a significant delay is incurred in a situation where speed is essential, critical, and possibly life-saving. If the CCMS is unable to reach a person on that pre-determined telephone list, then the CCMS must call the local police, or the local public safety answering point (PSAP). The PSAP is the local dispatcher of emergency vehicles, or the local call screener and relayer of emergency calls to the dispatcher of one or more of the local emergency services of fire, police and ambulance. The CCMS may be located in another state or across the country. Thus, this call from the CCMS to the police or PSAP cannot be made with the national emergency telephone number, such as 911 in the U.S., because calling 911 would reach the PSAP in the CCMS's local community, not the PSAP in the emergency victim's community. The call to the police or PSAP must be made on an administrative, non-priority telephone number. Thus, there may be a significant delay while the CCMS tries to determine which is the correct police or PSAP jurisdiction that dispatches to the victim's location. There may then be another delay while the CCMS determines what is the proper administrative telephone number for that police station or PSAP. With the rapid increase in new telephone exchanges and area codes, and with PSAPs that change location or obtain new equipment, databases of administrative numbers for PSAPs may become obsolete. Also, due to geographic features, irregular community borders, and irregular jurisdictions, the administrative telephone number selected may not be the nearest, or the jurisdictionally responsible, police station or PSAP. Thus, further delays may be incurred as the called police station or PSAP determines the exact location of the emergency, determines which is the appropriate responder, and attempts to forward the call or relays the information to the CCMS, who then determines the new administrative number and calls it. Also, calls coming in on administrative numbers do not come in to the dedicated emergency responder's call station console. Thus, they cannot be easily transferred to another jurisdiction, which causes further delay. Also, unlike 911, administrative telephone numbers are not priority numbers. Thus, these calls are not answered with the same urgency or priority as an emergency call; and if the call is made after-hours, or if the police or PSAP are under-staffed or busy, a call coming in on an administrative number may not be answered at all. Also, calls that come in on administrative numbers do not link with the ubiquitous Landline Enhanced 911 system, as 911 calls do. Landline Enhanced 911 provides ANI (Automatic Number Identification) data that instantly displays the victim's calling number. Thus, the recipients of the transferred emergency call are unable to call back the victim if the victim's call is accidentally or maliciously disconnected, or if they require further information. Landline Enhanced 911 also provides ALI (Automatic Location Identification) data that instantly provides the victim's exact street address, and provides on-site directions which are essential when responding to multi-family dwellings and apartment houses. Thus, the recipients of the transferred emergency call do not have a display of the victim's exact street address information with on-site directions. And thus, they cannot relay the missing location information electronically to a console in a fire, police or ambulance vehicle. Also, for calls coming in on administrative numbers, significant risk of human error is introduced e.g., through dyslexic transposition of numbers, or misreading or misspeaking information. The telephone number of the victim, if available and if noted by the CCMS, along with the location of the emergency, must be communicated several times. It must be verbally communicated by the CCMS, manually transcribed by the person answering the administrative number, relayed to the dispatcher, and verbally relayed by the dispatcher to the personnel responding to the emergency. Thus, the risk of human error is introduced by the CCMS, the transcriber, the dispatcher and the responding personnel. Also, medallions must pay a substantial, recurring monitoring fee to their CCMS for service. Thus, medallions are costly and this cost can be psychologically or financially prohibitive to many individuals.
Wireless devices, which include mobile and cellular devices, are still too large for many people to carry or wear them on their person all the time. Thus, the user has no certainty of the wireless device being within reach at the time of an emergency. Also, a wireless device requires recurring recharging of its battery, by plugging it into a charger which is plugged into an electrical outlet. This is required at varying intervals of time depending on usage. Thus, it is uncertain whether the wireless device will have an adequately charged battery to function at the time of an emergency. And thus, there are recurring time periods while its battery is being recharged when the wireless device is unusable by the user. Also, the wireless device only works while it is within range of a transmission tower in its network. Also, geographic and architectural features may severely interfere with, or prohibit, transmission to a tower in its network. Thus, the usefulness to the user of a wireless device is limited to the time period when the user is within uninterfered range of a transmission tower in its network. Also, most wireless calls to 911 are routed to and answered by a state police barrack or a regional wireless emergency answering point, either of which could be a hundred miles or more away from the caller, or in a different state. Thus, the wireless emergency 911 call was routed to an entity that cannot provide direct, immediate help. Like the problem facing the CCMS, described above for medallion callers, the state police or wireless regional answering point must try to ascertain the geographically and jurisdictionally correct local PSAP to call. They must then determine the administrative telephone number for that PSAP. That number is not a priority emergency number, and may be delayed in being answered or may not be answered at all. That number may have changed due to a move or a change in area codes, exchanges or new equipment. That number will not be linked to the emergency response person's emergency call-taking console. The call will not come in with the ANI or ALI data of Landline Enhanced 911. Information such as the victim's name, the victim's phone number, the victim's location and the nature of the emergency will have to be communicated verbally to the state police or regional wireless answering point. Then the information must be recorded manually, communicated to one or more local PSAPs via administrative telephone numbers, recorded manually again each time, manually delivered to the emergency call-taker at the emergency call-taking console, read and relayed verbally to the local emergency responder, or read and relayed to a local emergency dispatcher who will record it manually again and then read and relay it verbally to a local emergency responder. Thus, each of these steps incur critical time delays and incur critical risks of errors in typing, handwriting, deciphering handwriting, reading, verbalization, pronunciation, of dyslexia and the like. Also, a wireless device presents a problem if the caller is unable to state their location, which could be the case if the call is accidentally or maliciously terminated early, if the caller loses consciousness, if the caller has a closed airway from a blockage, asthma or an allergic reaction, or if they are being prevented from speaking due to a domestic abuse situation, an intruder, or an assailant. It's also a problem when the emergency has impaired a victim's cognitive function, which can happen to victims of TIA, stroke, diabetic shock, and overdose. It's also a problem if the victim doesn't know their exact address because they are a child, or because they are just visiting a location. Current cell phone location finding technologies are based on either network based solutions, such as tower triangulation, or on handset based solutions, such as Global Positioning System—GPS, or combination network/handset based solutions, such as Assisted GPS—A-GPS. These solutions all take from 2 to 7 minutes to determine a location. Thus, they create a significant and critical delay in the dispatching of aid to the emergency location. Also, a location is currently accurately obtainable only 60% of the time. Thus, there is a 40% chance that no help will be able to be dispatched at all. Also, the above statistics of 2 to 7 minutes to determine a location and that being obtainable only 60% of the time only apply to the fraction of PSAPs that have the equipment to attempt the location of a wireless call. Thus, many PSAPs are entirely unable to locate an emergency caller who calls with a wireless device. Also, even if the PSAP does have locating equipment, the location which may ultimately be obtained (60% of the time), will not be a street address, but geographic coordinates of latitude and longitude. These will not necessarily be a location on a street, but could be somewhere between streets. There is further risk of imprecision because the computerized local geographic maps are created with many data points obtained in the field and inputted manually. Also, the geographic location of latitude and longitude does not yield a precise point, but a range. In 1996, the Federal Communications Commission adopted wireless E-911 rules, establishing a location accuracy requirement of “100 meters for 67 percent of calls and 300 meters for 95 percent of calls”. Subsequent advances in handset based location technologies caused the Commission to revise its rules to accommodate these developments, and in so doing, they imposed the more stringent accuracy requirement for handset based solutions; namely, “50 meters for 67 percent of calls and 150 meters for 95 percent of calls”. Thus, the required location range is 150 to 450 feet for handset based solutions, and 300 to 900 feet for network based solutions. Ranges of 150 feet to 900 feet could include many, many homes in suburban locations, or hundreds of apartments in a city. Also, there is also no z-coordinate telling which floor the call came from, another great handicap in an urban location. Thus, these are situations in which emergency location of a wireless device is impossible. In a suburban area, a typical example of a location obtained from an emergency call made by a wireless device would be “within 150 to 900 feet of a point .37 miles east-southeast of the intersection of Maple Street and Northern Avenue”. An emergency call from the exact same spot made by the present invention would be “42 Aspen Street, Apartment E, 2nd floor, 3rd door on left”. In an urban area, a typical example of a location obtained from an emergency call made by a wireless device would be “within 150 to 900 feet of a point .03 miles northeast of the intersection of 81st Street and Fifth Avenue”. An emergency call from the exact same spot made by the present invention would be “582 Fifth Avenue, Apartment 15J, 15th floor, 7th door on the left”. Also, wireless devices must pay significant, recurring monitoring fees to their wireless provider for service. Thus, owning a wireless device for emergency calling purposes becomes costly over time, and this cost can be psychologically or financially prohibitive to many individuals.
Devices that are mobile and utilize satellite phone technology are too large, bulky and cumbersome to carry or wear on a user's person all the time. Thus, the user has no certainty of the satellite device being within reach at the time of an emergency. Also, a satellite device requires recurring recharging of its battery, by plugging it into a charger which is plugged into an electrical outlet. This is required at varying intervals of time depending on usage. Thus, it is uncertain whether the satellite device will have an adequately charged battery to function at the time of an emergency. And thus, there are recurring time periods while its battery is being recharged when the satellite device is unusable by the user. Also, the satellite device only works when it is able to obtain line of sight transmission and reception with the satellite. Thus, it is severely limited to operating outdoors or through a window. Also, it requires a period of time to acquire a fix on a satellite. Thus, there is a delay that is unacceptable in an emergency. Also, to obtain the callers location requires that a theoretical minimum of three satellite fixes be acquired. In actual practice, five or six satellite fixes are usually necessary. Each satellite acquisition takes additional time. Thus, satellite location causes further delays which are unacceptable in an emergency. Also, satellite location is obtained through GPS which, like wireless devices, is based on latitude and longitude. Thus, it is limited by the imprecision of the computerized local geographic maps. Also, satellite devices are extremely costly and their costs per call are very high. Thus, the expense of owning a satellite device for emergency calling purposes is psychologically and financially prohibitive to most individuals.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an emergency calling device which can directly call the national emergency telephone number, such as 911 in the U.S., which overcomes or greatly alleviates the foregoing problems and shortcomings of prior devices.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device which is inexpensive to purchase, has no recurring monitoring or other fees, and can be conveniently and unobtrusively carried or worn by the user at all times.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device which does not require any battery recharging by the user, thus no downtime, and that has backup battery power for operation during power outages.
A further object of the invention is to provide an emergency calling device which has a wearable pod unit with a single button to provide single button emergency calling capability, and a sliding cover over the single button to protect the button from accidental activation and to enable single-handed calling operation while in the users pocket.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device which has a wearable pod unit with a microphone and a speaker for 2-way audio communication, and a 3 position switch providing single-handed selection of one of 3 modes: speakerphone, phone, and monitor-only meaning mute.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device which has a base unit that connects to a landline phone line to provide maximum reliability and Landline Enhanced 911 ANI and ALI capability for every emergency call.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device which has a base unit that uses password protected pod unit authorization to prevent mischievous or malicious calling of the emergency number.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device which has a base with password protection that can selectively unauthorize a pod unit, such as that of a former employee who may otherwise misuse their pod unit for mischievous or malicious calling.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device which has a base that can authorize a multiplicity of pod units, that can store and display each authorized pod unit owner's name, and can recall and display the pod unit owner's name of each pod unit that places an emergency call via that base.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device which has a pod unit that can be authorized by a multiplicity of bases, so that the user can have emergency calling capability in and around an extensive network of locations they may frequent, such as home, farm, school, dorm, work, church, homes of friends, neighbors and relatives, gym, cottage, ice rink, swim club, golf club, and soup kitchen.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device with a pod unit which will use a separate, replaceable, secondary battery to check to see if it is within calling range of an authorizing base unit whenever the user slides open its sliding cover; and if it is within range an audible dial tone will be heard. Meanwhile, the primary, replaceable battery is reserved solely for making emergency calls.
It is an object of the invention to provide an emergency calling device which is easily carried or worn by the user, easily set up, easily authorized, easily unauthorized, and which easily makes emergency calls.
It is an object of the methodology of the present invention to provide a user with access to the most powerful and effective emergency calling and location technology available, which is via landline telephone to a national emergency response number such as 911 linked to Landline Enhanced 911, and to provide a user with this access literally within their reach in as many locations as possible.